1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for automatically fitting runner bricks wherein bricks to form runners are automatically conveyed and fitted into runner slots provided on an ingot making surface plate in a steel making plant, and more particularly to a brick aligning device for aligning bricks mounted on a work carriage in apparatus for automatically fitting runner bricks.
2. The Prior Art
Generally, in casting a plurality of ingots on a surface plate, runner bricks having runner holes are fitted into a plurality of runner slots extending radially from a pouring port provided in the center of the surface plate from the upper surfaces of the slots so as to form runners communicating with the ingot casting mold. However, the operation of fitting the runner bricks into the runner slots on the above mentioned surface plate is carried out manually in a high heat environment and it is desirable to save labor costs. Therefore, there has been suggested the apparatus described in Japanese Utility Model Laid Open Publication No. 105008/51 published on Feb. 19, 1975, wherein a rotating arm having a gripping device is installed near a surface plate so that bricks may be held by the gripping device, rotated and moved onto the surface plate and may be fitted into slots by lowering the gripping device. However, such apparatus has defects such as, when the diameter of the surface plate reaches several meters, the positioning precision of rotating the surface plate until it stops so as to coincide with the rotating arm is limited. Also, when the brick is held with the gripping device, the relative positions of the brick and gripping device are erroneous, as the gap between the brick and runner slot is so small as to be about 2 mm, the positions of the brick and runner slot do not coincide with each other and require a considerable time to be corrected such that there is a lengthy working time. The gap between the runner slot and brick is so small that, when the brick is held in the width direction, at the time of fitting it, the gripping pawl is in the way and the brick is dropped into the slot. Therefore the brick is held in the lengthwise direction and when a plurality of bricks are simultaneously held and conveyed, the holding force is determined by the friction force between the bricks with each other. Thus, if the surface state and material of the brick are slippery, the holding force is unstable and bricks are likely to drop while being conveyed.